Are IT education and certification costs tax deductible?

I am a working full-time IT guy, and I would like to know if and how IT education and certification costs would be tax deductible. Would it depend on the state you lived in the U.S.? Would these expenses be deducted from taxes like university classes? Are they only deductible when itemizing taxes as a 'work/job related expense?

Gosh, I’m no tax expert so I defer to what the IRS says on this subject. See the discussion on Tuition and Fees Deduction at irs.gov for the latest and greatest information on that subject. Also, you can deduct educational expenses paid for using interest income from US Savings Bonds (but that doesn’t do people much good unless they already hold some since most such bonds come with 5 year or greater maturities).

According to my tax accountant, Rita Brantner, if you’re self-employed you can write off classes and cert expenses as long as they’re related to your job activities under the heading of “professional development.” But alas, this benefit does not convey to salaried employees who work for somebody else.

That’s about it, here in the US, as far as I can tell (and my tax accountant confirms my conclusions).

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Check with an accountant but I'd think there's nothing to keep you from starting an LLC or S-Corp for IT consulting work you can do as a moonlighter and let the business pay for your expenses and thus be deductible.

Yes you can as long as you that is presently your full-time career and has been for a few years. I have been downloading any out of pocket IT related expenses that by employer has not reimbursed me for training classes, certifications, books, IT subscriptions, and conferences. This is required for me to upkeep my skill for my current employer.

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